• San Clemente History
• San Clemente Geography
• San Clemente Surfing Legacy
• San Clemente Schools
• San Clemente Areas
• San Clemente Important Links
• San Clemente Real Estate

San Clemente has plenty of sunshine, miles of scenic coastline and beautiful foothills are just some of the features of historic San Clemente.

Known by locals as the 'Spanish Village by the Sea',San Clemente's 65,000 residents enjoy an overall excellent quality of life. The community is located in South Orange County, just south of Laguna Beach and Dana Point. The San Diego County line is just to the south.

To the east is the Cleveland National Forest and to the west is the beautiful Pacific Ocean. This ideal location allows the city to maintain a small-town atmosphere, yet still be close to the larger metropolitan cities. San Clemente hosts two annual festivals - the Fiesta La Cristianita, held every August, and celebrates the first Christian baptism in California.

This event provides family fun and includes a parade and a block party. The Ocean Festival in October features a chowder cook off, arts and crafts, and aquatic and endurance competitions. The city's famous pier draws visitors from all over the country. Other features of the beautiful area include excellent schools, a host of activities in and around the beaches and parks and beautiful neighborhoods.

San Clemente History: The City of San Clemente spans fifteen square miles of coastline and scenic foothills. The location of the City, long admired by explorers and passing settlers, remained virtually uninhabited until 1776, when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established by Father Junipero Serra and led both Indian and Spanish settlers to set up villages nearby.

Property rights to the land exchanged hands several times, but few ventured to build on it until 1925, when former Mayor of Seattle, Ole Hanson purchased and designed a 2,000 acre community. Hanson believed that the area's pleasant climate, beautiful beaches and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians who were tired of "the big city". He named the City "San Clemente" after San Clemente Island which was named by the explorer Vizcaino in 1602 after Saint Clement, the patron saint of November 23, the day of Vizcaino's arrival on the island.

Hanson succeeded in promoting the new area and selling property to interested buyers. His "San Clemente by the Sea" was to consist of buildings built in the classic Spanish style with red tile roofs. He built public structures such as the Beach Club, the Community Center, the pier and Max Berg Plaza Park, which were later donated to the City. The area was officially incorporated as a City on February 27, 1928.

In 1969, an event occurred which accelerated the growth and reputation of San Clemente. In that year former President Nixon purchased a Spanish mansion in the southern part of town that Hamilton Cotton had built in 1927. This "Western White House" became the site of numerous historical meetings.

Despite rapid subsequent growth, the City today maintains its small-town atmosphere. The City now houses a TRW plant, located just north of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) and camp Pendleton, bounded on the east by the Cleveland National Forest and on the west by the great Pacific Ocean. San Clemente is the site of two annual festivals; Fiesta La Cristianita, celebrating the first Christian baptism in California including a parade and block party and the Ocean Festival, which features three days of aquatic and endurance competition.

The City's population and service area are expected to double over the next 20 years as various development projects are completed in the back country. These new residential projects will be accompanied by commercial and retail developments to provide for a balanced and economically stable community.

San Clemente boasts "the world's finest climate", with sunshine 342 days per year. The annual average temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Additional information about are our City is outlined below:

• The City flower is the Bougainvillea.
• The City tree is the Coral tree.
• The City Slogan is the "Spanish Village by the Sea."
• The City Song is "On the Beach at San Clemente."
• San Clemente has two sister cities: San Clemente del Tuyu, Argentina and Isla San Andres, Colombia.

San Clemente Geography:

San Clemente is located at 33°26'16?N, 117°37'13?W (33.437828, -117.620397)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.6 km² (18.4 mi²). 45.6 km² (17.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (4.03%) is water.

Interstate 5 runs through San Clemente. The Foothill Transportation Corridor is planned to connect Mission Viejo to the Orange/San Diego county line and will run along the east side of San Clemente on its way to I-5.Additionally, the city is served by numerous daily trains operated by Amtrak and Metrolink between Los Angeles and San Diego.

San Clemente Surfing Legacy:

San Clemente catches swells all year long. Going from South to North, they include Trestles (technically just south of the city line), North Gate, State Park, Riviera, Lost Winds, Lasuen, The Hole, Beach House, T-Street, The Pier, 204, North Beach, and Poche.

San Clemente is also the surfing media capital of the world as well as a premier surfing destination. It is home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine, with Surfer Magazine just up the freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

The city has a large concentration of surfboard shapers and manufacturers. Additionally, many world renowned surfers were raised in San Clemente or took up long-term residence in town, including Hobie Alter, Jr., Shane Beschen, Matt Archbold, Christian Fletcher, Mike Parsons (originally from Laguna Beach), Colin McPhillips, Colleen Mehlberg, Greg Long, Dino Andino, Chris Ward, and many, many others.

San Clemente High School has won 6 out of 7 most recent NSSA national surfing titles.

San Clemente Schools - Education:

The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District.

Within the city, there are 5 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 1 high school.

Elementary Schools: Concordia Elementary, Truman Benedict, Vista Del Mar, Las Palmas, and Lobo Elementary.

Middle Schools: Bernice Ayer, Shorecliffs, and Vista Del Mar.

High Schools: San Clemente High

San Clemente High School is the only high school in San Clemente. Ranked in the top 1.3% of schools nationwide, San Clemente also has an IB (International Baccalaureate) Program, a vast number of AP Courses. The music program also boasts a nationally recognized Vocal Arts Program with award-winning Madrigals, Women's Ensemble, and A Cappella choirs. San Clemente's IB students rank in the top 3% of the World for their IB scores and the program has expanded vastly in the past few years under the direction of Patrick Harris and Kathleen Sigafoos, the IB Coordinators of the School.

San Clemente Important Links:

• Official San Clemente Website
• The San Clemente Sun Post News, the town's oldest newspaper
• San Clemente Times community newspaper
• Orange County Public Libraries
• Current San Clemente Weather
• Official Orange County Website
• Official State of California Website
• San Clemente Medical Center

San Clemente Homes for Sale:

Find San Clemente homes for sale, San Clemente real estate agents, and San Clemente home values. Get access to San Clemente real estate listings, including the MLS, San Clemente REALTORS, new homes and foreclosures. Our free real estate services feature all Aliso Viejo and California cities and suburbs. Find Aliso Viejo school district information, including elementary, middle and high school test scores, student faculty ratios and other k-12 statistics. We also have information on San Clemente home selling, home buying and mortgages, movers and other realty services for anyone looking to sell a home or buy a home in San Clemente, CA.